Defeat
by cerzee
Summary: Oneshot. A slightly different ending of the final battle. Everything stays the same as far as the wizarding community in general is concerned. Nothing is the same for these two men. No slash.


**Author's notes:** This story takes place in a few hours after the final battle. I have been writing and polishing this story for many years, but somehow it still isn't what it should be. Oh well. I've had the idea since before the release of the Deathly Hollows but I made some minor alterations after the release of the book. But even before reading the seventh book I was always certain that our favourite Potions' Master is innocent.

Feedback would be highly appreciated, especially constructive criticism.

I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** the characters and places in this story are not mine, everything belongs to JKR. No money is being made either.

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><p>Defeat<p>

Severus Snape was standing in the first rays of red and golden sunrise, next to the corpse of a man with long blonde hair. There were more dead bodies around him, hundreds, it seemed. Some were covered in blood, some distorted beyond recognition, but many seemed perfectly intact, apart from being dead. He was on a battlefield of a war between light and dark magic, the Second War, as the wizarding community called it. Everyone who had the slightest tinge of magic in them knew that this was much more important than either of the World Wars. The fate of all people, both magical and muggle, would be decided soon. Or had it been already?

Severus blinked. Everything had become quiet, it might have happened moments or hours ago, he had no idea. It felt like he had been standing there, shocked, for eons. He didn't know whether the battle had ended or moved somewhere else, and he didn't even care as he was in no shape for fighting any more. Light or Dark, what difference did it make to him? They didn't even know which side he was fighting for, so it would be lose-lose situation either way. Severus snorted. He was on nobody's side but himself. He spat to the ground, once again angry with Albus Dumbledore. The only thing he had been fighting for was Lily Evans' sacrifice, and that, as it turned out, had been in vain. The Light would win or lose, but her son would die anyway. There was no way around it. No point in trying to struggle against what was sure to come.

He clutched his left side and fell to his knees, breathing heavily. There was a lethal wound underneath his black combat waistcoat.

Sectumsempra. He had been dueling with Dolohov, had momentarily lost his focus and the curse had brushed him before he could dodge it. The cut wasn't deep at all, but it would be enough. He would bleed to death in an hour. 'Some nerve to attack me with my own spell!' he thought. Ironically, he could do nothing about it. The counter incantation was designed not to work when spoken by the victim. He had ensured that *if* someone got hit and survived the curse, they wouldn't be able to cure themselves and sooner or later they would die of blood loss anyway. Rather sooner than later for Dolohov, though, for Severus had watched him squirm and twitch in agony after he'd lacerated the Death Eater's left leg away with the very same curse.

But still, who could have known that Severus Snape would accidentally be the cause of his own death in the end? The thought made him laugh, but he was already too weak, he felt stabbing pain in his chest and laughter turned into coughing.

Severus felt this hot, yet uncomfortably chilling tickling sensation on his nape, that wasn't linked to some fading spell still wandering around in the deserted moor. The suffocating stink of raw flesh and salty blood was there, too. A werewolf. One he knew too well. Severus saw his shadow next to his own on the ground. The silhouette was pointing a wand at him. He sighed.

"So you found me," he said, not bothering to look around.

"I did," the other one replied, and Severus could feel the man taking a few steps away from him.

"I take it that the Light has won, then."

"It has."

Neither spoke for a minute.

"You hunted me down, so now what, revenge?" Severus asked.

He heard the man laugh, but his voice sounded off.

"It was full moon tonight. We both know that I could have killed you hours ago. I could smell you the minute you apparated on the field. No need for hunting down whatsoever."

"So why didn't you, Lupin? Could have had a chance to finish what that pathetic goat interrupted."

Remus winced inwardly at the memory. Objectively he could understand that if he had killed Severus back then, it really would have been more of an accident than a murder. But the truth was, he felt that he was the one to be blamed, not Sirius. He was responsible for allowing the Marauders run with him and, quite frankly, for entering the school in the first place. Werewolves were supposed to be solitary creatures. He shook the thoughts away before his mask would slip.

"I was preoccupied with dear old Fenrir and his charming friends," Remus said bitterly. "I think he took my choice to live amongst wizards as a personal insult, as it was he who turned me. Anyway, he won't bite anyone anymore. But that really was not the revenge I was seeking tonight." Slowly and carefully, he moved closer to the kneeling man and touched Snape's neck with the tip of his wand. The other wizard didn't even flinch but continued to watch their shadows, stretched out on the ground in the pale morning light.

"You know, Severus, I have never killed if I had another choice. I was once very much tempted to kill Pettigrew, that traitorous parasite… But there's another traitor in my mind right now. What you have done is possibly far worse than Peter's betrayal. If I killed you now it would be the first time I ever actually wanted to do it."

Severus managed to stand up and look at him. The man in front of him was still not completely human. His hair was longer than usual and thick fur covered parts of his upper body and arms. The claws in place of his fingernails could have disemboweled a grown man with a single swift movement and his yellowish eyes held a wild spark in them. Severus smirked.

"Liar. You can feed this nonsense to those precious little comrades of yours from the Order, but not to me. I know there must be something that you want more than bloodshed or I would already be dead. So what is it?"

Remus glared at him, clearly irritated. Despite knowing Severus a very long time, he had foolishly hoped that accusations and threats would provoke him to tell the truth. It was the very end, after all, and Severus was currently at his mercy. But it was clear now that even in this pitiful condition, Snape wouldn't let his guard down. Damn the Slytherin to Hell, ever calculating, always keeping his secrets, even in the very end. Sighing, Remus changed his tactics and chose honesty instead.

"Very well. I'm here because I want the truth about what happened in the Astronomy tower."

Severus' eyes found his questioning gaze in an instant. His face was as blank and cold as ever, but his voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke: "You know it, just like everyone else, Lupin. I killed Albus Dumbledore."

The last four words sounded so final and harsh as if they were carved in stone. Remus Lupin narrowed his eyes. It seemed to him that Severus was trying to convince himself rather than the werewolf.

"I also know there is more to it. I try to avoid the mistake of jumping to conclusions, as most people tend to do. Prejudice and seemingly absolute proofs may turn out to be completely wrong."

Severus snorted. "Oh, what noble words we speak these days! Getting old, are we, wolf man? Unfortunately, you are the only one to think that way, I reckon. But I guess the world doesn't spoil hairy blood-sporting beasts very much, so you would know what it does to the murderer of the most beloved headmaster of Hogwarts of all." As he spoke, his tone turned from mocking and arrogant to annoyed and tired, as if he was growing weary of the subject.

Remus tilted his head to the side. "I am not as stupid as you think, Severus. I find it a little odd that you keep mentioning the murder and risk infuriating me. I know you are badly wounded and probably disarmed too, so why make your situation worse? It seems like you are trying to distract me from something by stating that fact." Severus' angrily burning eyes were locked with his and Remus could see the man's jaw clenching. 'Not losing our temper, are we?' the lycanthrope thought, now truly intrigued.

"Furthermore," he continued, "after that night, when I started to think back on the recent events, several questions came to my mind. Why it is that Dumbledore never saw through you, him being at least as expert Legilimens as you are an outstanding Occlumens? Or why did he petrify Harry if they were only facing Draco at the moment? He could have avoided it all so easily and not risk Harry's safety at the same time. And how in the name of Merlin's beard, could you deceive him so easily in the first place? You had to say or do something extraordinarily clever in order to fool the Headmaster to trust you so blindly."

"If I were you I wouldn't dwell on some old man's desperate actions. He wasn't what he used to be anymore. And what I said to the Headmaster will go to the grave with me." His knees got weak again and he started to fall, but Remus seized him by the arm and helped him to sit down.

"Your grave doesn't seem to be very far away, you know," he said, sounding serious.

"You don't say!" Severus panted. The usual sarcasm was fading from his voice.

"Let me see that wound." Lupin demanded. The other man shook his head.

"It would be of no use. Sectumsempra, you see." Remus' eyes widened. They were normal again; the transformation was almost complete. Only his senses were much higher than usual, they would remain so for the rest of the day. He could smell fresh blood pouring from the cuts in Severus' body. He couldn't tell how bad it was, though.

"But back then... Something worked, didn't it?" he asked, puzzled. Severus gave an annoyed sigh.

"Back then the situation was entirely different, too."

"How so?"

Severus gritted his teeth. 'What's with all this inquiring all of a sudden?' he thought. "Never mind, it doesn't matter anyway. Right now I cannot do anything about it," he said.

"But it's your own curse!" Remus exclaimed.

"Why, did you really think that I would make it that easy to break? Honestly, Lupin, I thought you were brighter than this." The werewolf looked at him in awe.

"You cannot use the counter curse because you yourself are hexed!"

"Well, bravo to you. Now that your poor little brain isn't preoccupied with resolving that knotty puzzle anymore, would you be so kind to do me a favor and leave?"

'Don't rob me from the last remains of dignity I still have and let me die alone!' He pleaded in his thoughts. He felt the strength pouring out of him together with blood and his mind was already a bit blurry. Soon he would be a pitiful semi- conscious wreck and he didn't want the griffindor to see it. He would die as he'd lived throughout his adult life- with the air of grace and poise, outwardly in control… and in complete solitude.

"I am not going anywhere. I need to know what happened and I could perform the counter curse, if you are willing to teach me how."

"I'm not. It's too elaborate for you anyway." Lupin smiled sadly.

"There's a slytherin snake for you- as good as dead and still bites. Very well, let's have it your way, then." He sat down next to him. Snape groaned and eased himself to lying position, turning his back to the man. His breathing was heavy and uneven now. Remus looked at him and sighed.

"I am not going to leave and you know that. So why don't you drop it once and for all and tell me the truth?" He took another side-glance to the dark form next to him. After a moment of silence, he said: "I know that you are innocent, Severus. It's the only logical explanation for everything."

"If you are so sure, why keep questioning me?"

"Because there are so many different possibilities of the true events of the last year and I honestly cannot tell which conclusion is the right one. I'm certain about one thing, though: the Headmaster knew about Voldemort's plan." Severus looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"And you think that he might be still alive?"

"The thought crossed my mind, yes."

"Then I'll have to disappoint you- he really is dead."

"But... I thought that-"

"Well, you thought wrong, as always. For heaven's sake, ask Potter if you don't believe me!"

"But that's exactly the real problem here. Something in his story just feels wrong. Harry told me what he had said to you. He said that Dumbledore pleaded with you…" The other man flinched slightly at the last sentence. It was barely noticeable, but Remus saw it and the little motion reassured him that his assumptions were indeed correct. "Forgive me if I am mistaken here, but I don't think Albus Dumbledore would have begged for his life."

"What the hell do you think he was begging for, then? For the last lemon drop perhaps?"

"I think he wanted you to kill him." With that, Severus had had enough. The werewolf was growing more and more annoying and he already knew too much for his own good. He wasn't going to spare him any more.

"What is it that you want to know? How the Headmaster spent hours and hours, trying to convince me to kill him and I would hear none of it? How I risked setting us all in danger, giving Narcissa Malfoy the oath to protect her son? Or how I spent every waking moment spying on Draco and trying to get him to switch sides so I wouldn't have to murder the man who was like a father to me? You have no idea what I have gone trough! You think this is all just an act, a thrilling game that I play, intending to save the Light and become a war hero by doing that. To me it has been reality for nearly seventeen years! My life is a lie and I'm forced to crawl in the mud and kiss the feet of Voldemort, the Order *and* the Ministry. I must put up with being an outcast, a traitor for both sides! Do you think that the Dark Lord spoiled me with unimaginable riches after I had done the deed? No, he was bloody furious because I told him I was bound to protect Draco and that I wouldn't hand him over for punishment! I barely survived his wrath. Hadn't I killed Albus, I'd be dead by now. The fool trusted me with the Headmaster's job, never realizing I was working for the Light, never suspecting I was keeping the children out of the Carrows' hands as much as possible, never seeing that I was helping Potter while pretending to be his most trustworthy minion. I fought this battle for the light, and so did Draco. We have done everything we could, now let us finally rest in peace, for fuck's sake!"

Severus had sat up in his anger. The frustration of nearly two decades welled up in his chest, followed by the urge to cry out loud for his wasted life. So he let out a deafening roar of anger and despair, but it soon faded into quiet sobs and finally died out as he sunk to the ground and curled up. He felt drained, not only physically but mentally as well. He was just too tired.

Remus was taken aback. He stood up in silent horror and went to the light-haired corpse. The body laid facing down. Because of the long silvery hair he had assumed that it was Lucius. His hand shook as he slowly turned the body around and revealed the face of another Malfoy. Draco's pale eyes seemed to be watching the stars in sheer admiration; his face was calm and childlike. He had been barely seventeen years old.

Hearing the anguished shout, Remus slowly turned away from the body and kneeled over Severus, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"I never thought it was easy for you. It was hard for all of us, but I always knew that you were in the most difficult position. That's why I'm keen on helping you." He felt the dark-haired man take a deep breath. "We will find a way to prove that you fought for the Light and you'll be given the Order of Merlin, first class, like you've always wanted. Just let me heal you, damn it!" Severus slowly turned to lie on his back; his eyes were closed as he smiled.

"Did you really think that the bloody award meant anything to me? I was pissed because Black slipped through my fingers, not because of losing the medal. And later, when I heard that he was not guilty after all, I was mad because I had lost a way for payback. And no, I won't let you heal me, only to be escorted to Azkaban for the rest of my life. All we have is my word against the pretty obvious fact that I did kill the Headmaster."

"I cannot bring myself to believe that Dumbledore didn't leave anything behind to verify your loyalty to the Order of Phoenix," Remus said with a frown. Severus sighed.

"He did- in his brother Aberforth's possession was a pensieve with a memory of Dumbledore declaring my 'innocence' in his death and explaining the reasons for his self-sacrifice. A few not too complex spells could have confirmed its authenticity. We thought that they wouldn't suspect that Aberforth could have something that might lead to the Order. But unfortunately Draco overheard us talking about something important hidden in Dumbledore's brother's house- the Death Eaters attacked the Hog's Head a few days before the battle in Hogwarts. Luckily I heard about the break-in before it was too late. I was able to disguise myself as one of the intruders and went with them. I had no choice but to destroy the memory and we had no time to make a new one." He stopped to catch his breath. "So you see, there is no way that I could win the trial and there *will* be a trial in case I show my face to the wizarding world again."

"But you could hide." Remus suggested.

"I don't want to! Don't you understand? The war has ended and therefore I have no purpose any more. I am not willing to live the next forty years as a fugitive. All of my life I have been doing nothing but following orders and doing what others expect from me. This is basically the first time that I can do what I *want* and simply I won't let you stop me." He squeezed Remus' arm, as if to make his point. Looking into his eyes, the werewolf finally understood. The black eyes were filled with yearning to get away. Suddenly Severus seemed very old and tired to him. He sighed.

"I think I see what you mean. But I am not going to let you die alone." Severus looked away. He realized he could not get rid of the griffindor, so he gave up.

"An aging werewolf is certainly not what I expected to see as the last thing in my life. I don't need mothering. You are ruining my perfectly decent death with your presence."

"As you are obviously not able to get rid of me, you will just have to put up with it."

Severus's sole answer was an annoyed humph and he turned his face away. Silence took place; only Severus' rough breathing could be heard.

Remus frowned as he processed what he had found out. It made sense to him now that the former spy chose death over a lifetime of hiding and running, but why the hell did he agree to it all in the first place?

"Severus… I know you promised to take it to the grave with you, but I cannot understand what on Earth could have made you turn to the Light and resort to a life like that…"

"He threatened to murder her. And then he did."

"Her? Lily?"

Severus answered with a curt nod. The griffindor looked at him with realization dawning on his face.

"I should have thought so…" he said quietly. Neither said anything after that.

Minutes passed. The sun was higher now and Remus could see the wounded man grow paler and paler. He started to shake from the cold, though he was dressed in a warm cloak that ought to have protected him against the chilly fog that rose from the ground.

Remus took off his own cloak and covered Severus with it. It was obvious that the shaking had nothing to do with the weather. 'He is dying,' he thought helplessly. Severus' eyes were unfocused and his breathing had become rapid.

Severus felt his mind turn darker and hazier by second. He could scarcely hear and see Remus and his thoughts had become mere babbling in his head. He could feel his body fighting for its existence, but his mind wanted to let go. He was scared and alone and the only thing that linked him to the reality was Remus' hand in his. Then, suddenly, the struggle ended, his fear dissolved and he felt completely at ease as he floated on into unknown.

Remus felt the hand he was holding loosen its grip and he searched the black eyes, only to find that they were now empty and lifeless. He was gone. "Rest in peace, Severus Snape," he said and closed the eyes of the body. Severus' features held a peaceful look and he seemed to smile a bit. He covered the man's face with his cloak.

Remus saw a few people looking for their loved ones and the ministry workers who were loyal to the Light searching for those who had fought for You-Know-Who. He knew that he had to move both of the bodies before the authorities found them.

He decided to take Draco to the Malfoy Manor. Every aristocratic wizarding family had their own graveyard. The Malfoys were undoubtedly dead or held in capture but sure the house elves would take care of the burial. But what should he do with Severus? After considering the few options he had, Remus decided that the best place for him would be Hogwarts.

An hour later he was standing in front of the white tomb of Albus Dumbledore. Severus' body was lying nearby. He remembered the funeral a year ago vividly. Back then so many people had been present. Today it was just him.

Remus spoke a few words and waved his wand. Next to Dumbledore's grave appeared a black marble table. He uttered the Levitation Charm and moved Severus to the platform.

"I am very sorry that I never thanked you properly for saving my life. But I hope that this will make it up to you," he said, looking at Severus' tranquil face. He waved his wand again and the table turned into a black tomb, identical to the Headmasters', except for the color_._

_Severus had caught two seventh year slytherins attacking the werewolf with Sectumsempra in a deserted corridor. It happened in their fifth grade. All Remus could remember was an odd incantation, almost sung in a low voice. When he had regained consciousness, Snape had been sitting next to him. He had given Remus some sort of potion. "For the scars," he had said. When the griffindor had asked why was he helping him, Severus had stated that every slytherin stood up for their kind and warned Remus not to go to the Headmaster, or any other professor for that matter, unless he wanted Severus to finish what the two slytherins had started. But for some reason it had seemed to Remus that this was not why Severus had saved him._

He stepped closer to the tomb and flicked his wand. On the black marble silvery text appeared. It read:

_Here lies Severus Snape,_

_The Half-Blood Prince._

_(09. 01. 1959- 28. 06. 1998)_

_Professor of Potions (1980-1996) _

_and Defence Against the Dark Arts (1996-1997)._

_The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1997-1998)_

_He gave his life for the Light_

_in the Second War against Voldemort._

With another spell, he made the grave visible only to those who knew the truth about Severus' true loyalties. He stood there for a few moments and then turned around, heading for the castle. Like every other magical institution, Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would soon start its everyday work again, as if the war had never occurred.


End file.
